Leicestershire Police has spent more than £17,500 in the past five years repairing vehicles which have had the wrong fuel put in them by staff.

According to figures provided to The Hinckley Times through the Freedom of Information Act, the force has spent more than £2,000 a year on repairs since at least 2005, when figures were first recorded.

The highest total bill in the past five years was £6,255.11 in 2010 when there were 24 incidents, including one repair on November 3 2010 which cost the force a staggering £2,859.02 on its own.

Last year, the cost for repairing its fleet after petrol had been put in a diesel engine or vice versa came to £2,247.91, from 15 incidents of misfuelling. Two of these happened on the same day, November 7.

Along with the response, information management officer at Leicester Police Steven Morris said: “Leicestershire Police has been able to reduce the costs to the force by educating officers in what to do when they accidentally fill up with the wrong fuel.

“We accept that one of the potential hazards of officers using multiple vehicles in the course of their work is that mistakes like this can happen.

“We have therefore conducted some educational work to ensure that the actions they take when this happens, keep repair costs to a minimum.

“We have also put measures in to enable us to reuse as much fuel as possible when this occurs.”